5 Ways In Which Your Landlord May Be Breaking The Rules

Rajeev Sharma, a 27-year-old IT professional, recently shifted to Pune to work with a leading technology company. He was happy to find a rental property lying close to his workplace within his budget. But, when Sharma and landlord sat to ink the lease agreement, the latter mentioned that the security deposit is non-refundable. On hearing this, Sharma decided against renting this place. Sharma was aware of his rights as a tenant.

There are several things that your landlord, despite being the owner of the property, cannot do to his tenants.

Lock you in or out

Even if you have broken a rule, your landlord cannot lock you in or outside the property. In a scenario where the tenant breaks the rule, the landlord may evict him after serving a 30-day notice. An immediate action where the landlord decides to lock you out of the property is against the rules. He can also not stop the supply of utilities.

Enter property without informing

Even though he owns the property, a landlord cannot enter the premises without informing you or in your absence. In case the landlord wants to visit the property, he should inform you at least 24 hours in advance. In case the visiting plan is cancelled, the tenant should be informed about that, too. An emergency visit should only be made in case the tenant is in trouble and needs immediate help or in case the landlord is unable to get to the tenant.

Asks for rent more than on papers

A landlord cannot ask for rent more than what is mentioned in the agreement or an advance rent. In case any repairs that landlord made to the property due to the damages caused by the tenant, it is deducted from the security deposit at the end of the lease.

Terms security as non-refundable

Do note that the security deposit made by the tenant is refundable. In case the property has been damaged, the landlord can deduct the repair cost from the deposit.

Raises rent mid-year

A landlord can as agreed upon raise the rent only once the lease is renewed i.e. every 11 months. A raise in rent mid-year is against the rules. Every time the rent is raised, the landlord has to mention a viable reason for the rise.